In high school since my birthday fell the day after one of my best friend’s, we always celebrated together at TGI Fridays, a favorite restaurant of ours. We tried to arrive before the dinner crowd, and after the hostess seated us at a cozy booth, we each handed the other person a gift bag with tissue paper poking out of the top before opening the menu.
As creatures of habit, we both ordered the same thing on every visit: a light salad with chicken for protein, water for me, and iced tea for her. While waiting for our entrées to appear, we opened our birthday presents. Since she put together scrapbooks in her spare time (and still does!), I often gave her fun stickers or pretty patterned paper for her to use.
Although we both enjoyed our entrées, we always asked for a to-go box to take home at least half because… We mainly went for dessert! Specifically the Brownie Obsession: a warm, thick, extra fudgy brownie topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauces, and chopped pecans. (But we requested extra chocolate sauce and no pecans on ours!)
We slowly savored every bite of that decadent dessert, scraping up the last lingering brownie crumbs and chocolate drips with our spoons before the waiter took the plate back to the kitchen. As a chocoholic with a huge sweet tooth, I never wanted to leave a single morsel behind… But that meant I often walked out with the waistband of my jeans feeling a little too tight!
Which is why I ♡ this recipe for Healthy Small Batch Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies! With so few servings, it’s nearly impossible to over-indulge, even for a brownie-obsessed girl like me. Plus they contain no butter, refined flour or sugar and only 67 calories!
Even better? If you devoured the entire pan in one sitting, and topped it with ice cream and caramel and chocolate sauce… You’d still eat fewer calories than if you had one of those Brownie Obsessions from the restaurant! ??
To make this easy recipe, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!) and cocoa powder (like this!). Yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists! It’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, which has the same health benefits as regular wheat but a lighter taste and texture. That makes it perfect for these fudgy brownies!
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out the batter and make your brownies cakey, and too much cocoa powder will make them taste bitter, rather than perfectly rich and decadent. This is the kitchen scale I own, and I highly recommend it! I use it to make every recipe I share with you because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten these brownies with pure maple syrup, like this! Make sure you buy the real kind! Skip the pancake syrup and sugar-free syrup because those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthy recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs.
Because you’re making so little batter, you’ll need a small 6”-square pan to bake it in. I found these at Walmart on the wedding aisle, and they last for ages and work perfectly! Isn’t that size adorable?? In a pinch, you can use a 8×4” loaf pan or two mini loaf pans.
So, my fellow brownie lover, how perfect does that look?? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your brownies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
Small Batch Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies | | Print |
- 6 tbsp (45g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 6 tbsp (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat a 6”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 10-14 minutes (10 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 14 minutes yields slightly firmer brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 8 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before serving.
For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, 1 tablespoon (7g) brown rice flour, 1 tablespoon (8g) tapioca flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may be substituted as well, but be extremely careful when measuring it!
I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without it! Be very careful when measuring the cocoa powder, using this method or a kitchen scale. (That's the one I own and love!) Too much cocoa powder will make your brownies dry and taste bitter.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Want to make a regular-sized pan of brownies instead? Then follow this recipe of mine!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Small Batch Lemon Blueberry Muffins
♡ Small Batch Maple Peach Muffins
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Orange Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Frosted Brownies
♡ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
♡ Practically Flourless Extra Fudgy Brownies
Claudia says...
Hi!
If I wanted to replace the maple syrup with a 1/4 cup granulated coconut sugar or cane sugar, how would I adjust for the liquids? Would I add 1/4 milk for example to compensate?
Thank you so much!
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Claudia! To substitute coconut sugar for the maple syrup, use ¼ cup of coconut sugar + 2 tablespoons of milk. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies!
Claudia says...
They turned out great! So fudgy and delicious, thank you so much! ?
Amy says...
It’s my pleasure, Claudia! I’m so glad you loved these brownies! 🙂 Thank YOU for taking the time to let me know!
Ila says...
HI Amy – we made this small batch last night and the brownies tasted delicious. I want to know if they are meant to be eaten with a fork as they would not hold up on their own. I followed the ingredient measurements precisely, but used a parchment-lined 8X4 Pyrex loaf pan. Baked at 300 for 12 min and consumed a little over 7 hours later. Again loved the taste, but would prefer the hand-held version. Thank you!
Amy says...
I’m so glad you enjoyed their flavor Ila! That’s odd that the texture was so wet… As written, these brownies should be fudgy but still be able to be eaten with your hands! Was it a glass loaf pan? Those often bake differently than metal pans, so you may need to bake them longer so the center is firm instead of wet. 🙂
Ila says...
Hi Amy – loved the taste and super-fudginess of these brownies. Just one thing: my brownies had a very gooey texture and did not hold up easily and so we needed to eat with a fork. I followed the preparation precisely, but used an 8×4 loaf pan. Should I have increased the temperature or baking time? Thank you!
Ruba says...
I’ve made these brownies thus far and they taste great! One problem, though: in both cases, they did not look like your brownies at all. Rather, they were too fudgey and gooey. The first time, I used a 9 x 9 pan because it was all I had. The second time, I used a 7 x 7 and baked it two minutes longer. What am I doing wrong? It can’t just be the pan size, right? Thanks!
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ruba! I’m happy to help sort out what’s going on. 🙂 When you used the 9″-square and 7″-square pans, did you double the recipe? Did you make any modifications, including those listed in the Notes section, other than the pan size? And when you say too fudgy and gooey, do you mean underdone? (These brownies aren’t meant to be cakey, just supremely fudgy, so I just want to double check I understand the texture that you’re seeing!)
Ruba says...
Wow, thanks for such a prompt response!
In both cases, I did not modify the recipe, so I understand why the outcome would be slightly off, relying on differently-sized pans.
By gooey and fudgey, yes, I guess I mean underdone. I know the recipe is meant to be fudgey, but my product looks nothing like your photos. It looks more like the batter, except a little harder and darker.
Do you use a mixer, by any chance, or do you do all the whisking and mixing manually? I’ve been doing so manually, and wonder how different the final product would being done with a mixer.
Thanks!
Amy says...
It’s my pleasure, Ruba! I always mix by hand, unless I explicitly state to use an electric mixer in the recipe. I use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and I use a fork for everything else. Did you bake them at 300° for no more than 14 minutes? If you did not modify this recipe, then I’m assuming your brownies were extremely thin compared to mine? Both pans that you used are larger than mine, so that why I’m guessing that’s the case. There really isn’t enough batter to cover the bottom of those pans and still yield thick and fudgy brownies. If you look at the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions, then you’ll find my recommended pans if you don’t have a 6″-square pan. I’d love to hear how the brownies turn out if you try them in either of those pan options! I have a feeling they’ll look and taste a lot more like mine in the photos! 🙂
Ruba says...
– I just noticed the many typos in my comments – sorry about that! I blame autocorrect!
– Yes, the final product was rather thin compared to your brownies. It still tasted great! I’m just concerned about the texture. Is there anything I can do to improve the final product while still using the 7 x 7 pan? I can’t find a 6 x 6 one.
– I went with the instructions and did everything by hand. A thought just occurred to me about the mixer, hence my question. I had wondered whether it would fix the texture in my case, but maybe not.
Amy says...
No worries Ruba! I’ve been foiled by autocorrect many times. 😉 If you have an 8″-square pan, you can double the ingredients and bake them for 15-19 minutes! Otherwise, do you have either of the pan options I give in the Notes section? I’m glad you’re mixing by hand — you definitely get a better texture with these brownies when doing that! 🙂
Ila says...
Hi Amy – Do you have any suggestions on how to make this sugar free? Thank you!
Amy says...
I’m happy to help! What’s the exact sugar-free sweetener that you’d like to use instead? 🙂
Ila says...
I have sweet leaf vanilla creme drops, and I also have swerve. I wasn’t sure if you left out the option for sugar-free due to the chemical requirement that sugar would bring to the baking. Thanks again.
Amy says...
It’s my pleasure Ila! I’ve made a non-small batch sugar-free version here with the liquid vanilla stevia. However, I’ve found that cocoa powder mutes the stevia’s sweetness, so those brownies, even though they should taste just as sweet based on the amount of stevia used, still taste much darker than the original maple syrup version.
So I’d actually recommend using a combination of liquid vanilla stevia and Swerve for the best results! For this small batch version, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla stevia + 2 tablespoons of Swerve. Then add 3 tablespoons of milk (any kind will work!) to compensate for the missing liquid volume from the maple syrup. If the batter still seems dry, add an additional 1 tablespoon of milk. I’m excited to hear what you think of that sugar-free version! 🙂
Shreya says...
Hi Amy! Can I use a flaxseed egg instead of a normal egg for this recipe? Can I directly substitute it or do I have to make any other adjustments?
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Shreya! I don’t have much experience with flax eggs, but I absolutely love Ener-G! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownies if you try them! 🙂
Sam says...
No maple syrup in my small town. Can I use honey or powdered jaggery as a maple syrup substitute. If yes, how much of each (using one or the other, but not both simultaneously). Thanks.
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sam! I’ve actually answered this question already in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these brownies!
Sue says...
I made these and loved them. I substituted the liquid sweetener (saving it just in case i can’t get any from the store) for cane sugar with milk and used a silicone cupcake mould. Maybe it’s just me but these get fudgier the longer they sit!
Amy says...
I’m so glad you loved these brownies Sue!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 It’s definitely true; I’ve found they turn fudgier the longer they rest too!